Chablis food-and-wine matching: London

A Chablis food-and-wine matching lunch at Bourgogne-inspired Cabotte in London helped sommeliers to explore the diverse food-pairing potential of the region’s various appellations.

To further the understanding of the four appellations within Chablis, each has been matched with an iconic British designer. Petit Chablis, for example, pairs with Simone Rocha, fresh, up and coming, and with great potential.

Established and accessible fashion figure Stella McCartney has been paired with Chablis, while Chablis Premier Cru has been matched with Christopher Bailey, head of Burberry. For the unique Chablis Grand Cru, there could be no other match than Vivienne Westwood.

A starter of seabass and crab tartare with yuzu dressing and shiso was comfortable territory for these wines in general, and proved to work particularly well with Petit Chablis. The main course proved a more adventurous match – roasted pork rump with new-season garlic and beans. Chablis Premier Cru turned out to be a good option here, according to our tasters.

To finish, three different cheeses provided plenty of scope for experimentation with the various wines, with the Chablis Grand Cru wines really coming into their own.

Perhaps most noteworthy was that all the wines were usually compatible with these dishes, at least to some extent. The versatility of Chablis shone through, and tasters were usually only looking for nuances that elevated a match from good to sublime.

The afternoon showed that it’s worth getting to grips with the region’s appellations, and communicating those differences to customers, all while exploring the vast food-matching potential of these timeless, perpetually-fashionable wines.